Curtain-fixture.



No. 835,576. P'ATBNTED NOV. 13, 1906. H. M. STURGIS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Sigg/O tj/er/Jef wais No. 835,576. PATENTED NOV. 13, 1906, H M STURGIS CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED IIAY4,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 as Ml HERBERT M. STURGIS, OF-KAISAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 4, 1906. Serial No. 315,129.

Patented N ov. 13, 1906.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. STUnGis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to curtain-fixtures of that class known as self-alining and used principally on street and railway cars and coaches and my object is to produce devices of this character whereby it is impossible for the curtain to creep upward or be moved upward accidentally and whereby it cannot be dislodged at its lower ends from the customary guide-grooves of the casing by any force short of that necessary to effect intentional wreckage.

A further object is to produce curtain-fixtures for holding the curtain reliably which can be manipulated easily and quickly to effeet instantaneous release of the curtain for the purpose of permitting it to be raised or lowered and which will resecure it at the eX- act point of adjustment desired.

A still further object is to produce curtain- 'liXtures of simple, strong, durable, orna mental, and inexpensive construction which can be disposed in operative relation to any of the approved types of car or coach windows.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which` Figure 1 represents an inner face view of a window equipped with a curtain and xtures therefor embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line III III of Fig. 1 with certain parts broken away. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the dotted line IV of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the dotted line V of Fig. 2 with certain parts arranged differently from corresponding parts of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an outer edge view of one of the curtain-rod shoes. Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective view of one of the unlocking-rods with the handle thereof. Fig. 8 is an inner face view of a part of one of the guide-rods, the bracket engaging the upper end of the same and one of the washers to be used, if necessary, to vgbring the rod to a perpendicular ,iposition. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one ofthe locking-dogs. Fig; 10 is a detail perspective view of one-of the rod-supporting brackets.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates a windowcasing of any suitable type, 2 the stiles thereof, and 3 4 the stops secured to the casing to form vertical grooves 5.

6 indicates the curtain adapted to be secured at its upper end to the usual springroller (not shown) and having its lower end formed with a horizontal sleeve 7 to receive a tube 8, of brass or other suitable material, a screw-bolt 9 extending through the curtainsleeve and into the tube to secure the parts reliably together. Said bolt also extends through a segmental escutcheon-plate 10, fitted against the sleeve of the curtain and provided at opposite sides of its center with longitudinal slots 1 1, registering with slots 12 in the tube.

13 indicates handles extending through slots `11 and 12 and terminating in heads 14 of width to fit snugly in the tube, but sufliciently narrow to pass through slots 12, said heads being provided centrally with threaded passages 15. The handles are provided with arms 16, fitting slidingly in slots 11 and covering slots 12 to prevent mischievously-inclined persons from introducing anything into the tube through slots 12 which would prevent a proper sliding action of the handles preliminary to adjustment of the curtain.

17 indicates screw-rods arranged axially of tube 8 and having their threaded or inner ends engaging the heads 14 of the handles, said rods being equipped with collars 18 to fit snugly in the tube for the purpose of centering the rods with respect to the heads to enable one to easily and quickly screw the rods to the handles. The opposite ends of the rods are provided with heads 19, the preferred method of providing said heads being to groove the opposite sides of the rod, as at 20, and force therein a'bifurcated plate con'- stituting said head 19.

A pair of shoes each consists of a body portion 21, paralleling the sides of the windowcasing, a pair of arms 22 projecting into the grooves 5 and connected preferably by side walls 23, and a cylindrical stem 24 fitting telescopically in tube 8, the latter with said shoes constituting a curtain-rod which can- IOO IIO

not be shortened when the shoes are bearing against the ends of the tube. The arms 22 are provided with alined holes 25, through which extend guide-rods 26, disposed within grooves 5 and secured at their upper and lower ends to angle-brackets 27, fastened to the casing by screws 28. The preferred method of securing or fastening the ends of the rods is to provide the same with notches 29 and the brackets 27 with openings 30 in their vertical arms and slots 31 in their other arms, the llast-named arms being pitched at an obtuse angle 'to the vertical arms by preference.

The brackets are slipped upon the ends of the -rod,the uncut extremities of the rod passing through openings 30 and the grooved portions engaging slots 31, and in this connectionI it will be noticed that the slotted arms ofthe brackets converge with respect to each other, and therefore bear a wedge relation tothe rods, so as to eliminate independent vibration of the rods and the rattling noise which vwould accompany such vibration when the car or coach was in motion.

32 indicates sleeves fitting snugly on rods 26 between the arms ofthe shoes, and 33 represents expansive coil-springs encircling said sleeves and projecting beyondlthe ends ofthe same.

34 indicates right-angled-shaped-dogs having their exterior angles fulcrumed to rock and slide bodily on shoulders 35 of the shoes, one arm of each dog being interposed between a spring 33 andthe opposing arm of the shoe and having a hole 36, through which one of the rods 26 extends, and the other arm a substantiallyT semicircular notch 37, engaging the contiguous rod 17 between the body portion ofthe juxtaposed shoe and head 19.

In practice the operative parts normally occupy the position shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, at which time it will be noticed the apertured arms of the dogs are pitched at an angle to each other bybeing pressed by the springs 33 toward the arms of the shoe, such pressure of the springs causing the edges of the holes 36 to iinpinge iirmly upon the rods 26, the upper dog of leach shoe biting upon the rods to prevent downward movement of the curtain and the lower dog of each shoe performing the same function to prevent upward movement. Y

Tith the parts in the position described the curtain cannot be raised or lowered by any force applied for that purpose, nor can the curtain-'rod be disengaged from the grooved casing accidentally. To adjust the curtain, the operator with thumb and finger grasps and applies pressure on handles 13 to cause them to approach, this action sliding rods 17 in the same direction and causing their heads to pivotally operate dogs 34 from the position shown in Fig, 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, the dogs in such action sliding bodily inward a very slight distance to permit their apertured arms 'to move downward on rods 26 and compress the springs 33 until said arms are substantially parallel, as shown in the last-named figure, the sleeves 32 forming stops for said arms. Vith the dogs unlocked, as described, the curtain can be drawn down or permitted to rise under the naction of the spring-roller, and the instant the pressure is removed from the handles springs 33 cause the dogs to relock the curtain in its new position ofadjustment.

For convenience in securing the guide-rods in a vertical position in the event that 'the casing is not perfectly plumb-or the sides not perfectly parallel I provide thin washers 38 to be slipped between the brackets andthe casing, the washers .being provided with notches 39 to engage the securing-screwsand be held thereby from endwise movement, the stops 3 and 4 holding the washers against dislocation by slippage toward either of said stops, it being understood y'that one of the stops, 3 by preference, will lnot be secured in place until the curtain-fixtures, including the washer, if necessary, are all in place.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced curtain-fixtures embodying the features of advantageenumerated as desirable in the statement ofthe object of the invention, and I -wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction shown and described, as various changes in the form, proportion, detail, construction, and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the principle of construction involved.

Having rthus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Iletters Patent, is

1. A curtain, stiff rods at opposite sides of the same, a curt-ain-rod equipped with guideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiff rods, fulcrumed on and within the shoes and adapted for simultaneous rocking and sliding movement, and means for holding the dogs locked upon the sti rods.

2. A curtain, stiff rods at opposite sides of the same, a curtain-rod equipped with guideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiii` rods, fulcrumed on and within the shoes andadapted for simultaneous rocking -and sliding movement, means for holding the dogs locked upon the stiff rods, and means to 'unlock said dogs from the rods by causing them to simultaneously rock and slide `bodily inward on the shoes.

3. A curtain, stiff rods at opposite sides of the same, a curtain-rod equipped withfguideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiff rods, fulcrumed on and within the shoes and adapted IlO for simultaneous rocking and sliding movement, and means for yieldingly holding the dogs with their apertured arms extending divergently outward and clamped or locked tightly upon the stiff rods.

4. A curtain, stiff rods at opposite sides of the same, a curtain-rod equipped with guideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiff rods, fulcrumed on and within the shoes and adapted for simultaneous rocking and sliding movement, means for yieldingly holding the dogs with their apertured arms extending divergently outward and clamped or locked upon the stiff rods, and means to unlock said dogs by causing them to simultaneously rock and slide bodily inward on the shoes.

5. A curtain, stii rods at opposite sides of the same, a curtain-rod equipped with guideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiff rods, rulcrumed on and within the shoes and adapted for simultaneous rocking and sliding movement, and rods movable longitudinally of the curtain-rod and adapted when caused to approach to unlock the dogs by causing them to simultaneously rock and slide bodily inward on the shoes.

6. A curtain, a curtain-rod, a pair of guiderods, a shoe engaging each guide-rod and connected to the curtain-rod, angle-dogs fulcrumed on the shoes and having holes engaging the guide-rods, handles, connections between the handles and the dogs to operate the latter, and spiral springs fitting upon the rods and bearing at their opposite ends against the apertured ends of the dogs.

7. A curtain, stiff rods at opposite sides of the same, a curtain-rod equipped with guideshoes slidingly engaging the stiff rods, angleshaped dogs engaging the stiii rods, fulcrumed on and within the shoes and adapted for simultaneous rocking and sliding movement, rods extending longitudinally of and within the curtain-rod and provided at their,

inner ends with handles projecting exteriorly of said rod and with their outer ends projecting into the shoes, heads secured on the outer ends of said rods and adapted when the rods are moved inward to cause said dogs to rock and slide bodily inward on the shoes, and yielding means for reversing such action of the rods and dogs.

8. The combination of a window-casing having vertical grooves in its sides, brackets secured in the upper and lower ends of casing and having arms converging toward the center of the casing 5 said brackets having openings and communicating slots, and rods disposed vertically within the grooves and having grooved upper and lower ends engaging the slots in the converging portions of said bracket.

9. A curtain, a hollow rod secured to its lower end, vertical rods at opposite sides of the curtain, shoes carried by the curtain-rod and comprising upright body portions and outwardly-projecting arms above and below the curtain-rod and provided with apertures through which the vertical rods extend, and provided with interior shoulders at the junction of said body portion and arms, angleshaped dogs having their exterior angles fulcrumed and adapted for sliding movement on said shoulders and provided with apertures engaging the vertical rods, rods extending longitudinally of and within the curtainrod and into said shoes between the dogs thereof, heads on the outer ends of said rods and adapted to engage the outer sides of the contiguous arms of the dogs, handles extending slidinglyv through the curtain-rod and secured to the inner ends of said headed rods, and springs holding said rods pressed yieldlingly outward and said dogs with their apertured arms extending divergently outward with respect to said vertical rods.

l0. In a curtain-iixture, a shoe, comprising a 'body portion, arms projecting outward from the upper and lower ends of said body portion and provided with alined holes, and shoulders within the shoe at the junction of said body portion and said arms.

ll. In a curtain-ixture, a hollow curtainrod provided with longitudinal slots, handles extending through said slots into said rods and provided with heads within the rod, having longitudinally-threaded bores, shoes at the opposite ends of the curtain-rodV and provided with stems projecting into the ends of the latter and having longitudinal passages, rods extending slidingly through said stems and provided with threads at their inner ends engaging the threaded bores of the heads of the handles, and collars secured upon the threaded ends of the stems outward of the handles and tting slidingly in the curtainrod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT M. STURGIS.

Witnesses:

H. C. RoDGERs, G. Y. THoRPE.

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